Section 219 - Right of member to copies of balance sheet and auditors' report.

Right to balance sheet copies: members entitled to receive financial statements before meetings, with penalties for non-compliance.

Members and certain holders are entitled to receive the balance sheet, profit and loss account, auditors' report and other required annexures not less than twenty-one days before the general meeting; listed companies may instead make documents available for inspection and circulate a statement of salient features. Exceptions cover persons not entitled to notices, unknown addresses and joint holders; earlier dispatch may be validated by unanimous agreement. Any member, debenture holder or depositor may on demand be furnished free copies, and non-compliance attracts fines and may be remedied by Central Government direction. Transitional savings apply to private companies.